Last Wednesday, on Oct. 14, the New England Revolution defeated FC Cincinnati 3-2 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Forward Dor Turgeman recorded a brace with a goal scored in each half, and winger Peyton Miller recorded an assist on each of those goals. Goalie Matt Turner also helped stave off a fierce Cincinnati attack that recorded 22 shots, eight of which were on target.
With 49 points accumulated over the course of the season and, at the time, five games to spare, New England could not drop below the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference. This guaranteed a playoff berth for the team — their first since 2023.
On Sunday, New England earned a 1-0 win against playoff-bound Chicago Fire FC at home in Foxborough. This win increased their point total to 52, granting the team a comfortable lead in the standings that will ultimately secure them a guaranteed spot in round one and home-field advantage.
If standings remain relatively stable over the next couple of weeks and New England stays as the No. 3 seed, they will once again face off against the Philadelphia Union, a rematch from the 2023 playoffs. New England will undoubtedly look to improve their 2023 performance, where they got swept by Philadelphia in two games.
New England’s 2026 performance has come as a big surprise to many. The team was coming off a rough 2025 campaign where they finished 11th in the Eastern Conference, only accumulating 36 points and notching nine wins. Head coach Caleb Porter was then promptly fired after just one season with the team. To put it succinctly, many thought the future was bleak last offseason. It was believed they were one of the worst teams in the league going into 2026.
On Nov. 10, 2025, New England announced the hiring of Marko Mitrović, the 10th coach in franchise history. Mitrović previously coached the U-20 US Men’s National Team to a moderate amount of success, and this success helped him earn what would be his first head coaching role with a professional team. Though the franchise and fans had faith in him, it was shocking to see just how quickly Mitrović turned the team’s prospects around.
In the 14 weeks leading up to the mid-season break for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, New England won eight games, including a seven-week stretch in which they didn’t lose a single match and one game against FC Cincinnati where they routed them 6-0 at Gillette Stadium. The few poor games came against Nashville SC, who are clearly playing at a level far above any other MLS team this season.
Mitrović’s success has been attributed to several things, but one of the biggest ones is his tactical ability. He employs a very fluid and aggressive style of play that balances the stamina that comes from the team’s youth and the experience and game-awareness of the team’s veteran players.
This style of place directly feeds and strengthens the mentality that Mitrović hoped to instill in the team upon arriving in Foxborough.
“We will be very aggressive,” Mitrović stated in his opening press conference with the team, “We have to understand that we go out there to give everything we have.”
Mitrović proved this wasn’t just coach-speak with the performances that New England has put on throughout the season.
At the heart of Mitrović’s system is captain and midfielder Carles Gil. Since joining New England in 2019, Gil has slowly become a franchise legend after multiple successful individual seasons with the team. He continued his ongoing successful MLS career in 2026 with 12 goals and 10 assists. He also leads the MLS this season in key passes with 84 and is third in total touches with 2,427.
Gil’s expertise and ability in the midfield and right-wing has allowed other players on the team to shine. For example, Miller is a homegrown prospect from Unionville, Conn. and has asserted himself as an emerging star with his play this season. The 18-year-old has seven goals and four assists so far and continues to grow his role in New England’s attack.
Given all the success, it’s important to keep this season in perspective. The team, by all accounts, has played far above any reasonable expectations they had coming into 2026. Therefore, it’s easy to miss some glaring issues the team still has. The two back-to-back 0-3 losses to Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders FC before clinching a playoff berth against FC Cincinnati served as the necessary perspective check for the fans and the team.
In a way, they are very similar to the 2025 New England Patriots, who also defied very low expectations coming into the season. That team faced immense criticism following what many outside of New England saw as a poor playoff showing despite making the Super Bowl, and proof they weren’t as good as their record suggested.
The New England Revolution have already faced similar criticisms, particularly from US national team legend and commentator Landon Donovan, who has continued to rag on the team following those two losses.
Ultimately, New England’s playoff berth and the 2026 season are more of an indicator of the team’s growth and potential rather than of if they are truly good “now.” Mitrović has made this clear with recent comments about balancing short-and long-term goals, as well as appreciating the work done to get to this point, even when emotions regarding game-to-game performances remain present.
When adopting Mitrović’s viewpoint, it becomes very easy to see that the New England Revolution’s 2026 season has been a massive success, regardless of if they are truly “contenders” in the upcoming MLS Cup Playoffs.